Sujit Choudhry delivers Trudeau Foundation lecture

Cecelia Goetz Professor of Law Sujit Choudhry delivered a Trudeau Foundation lecture on April 11 at the University of Alberta. The foundation, established in 2001 as a memorial to former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, and endowed by the Canadian government, “supports outstanding individuals who make meaningful contributions to social issues.” Choudhry was named a Trudeau Fellow in 2010.

Choudry’s lecture, "The Globalization of the Canadian Constitution," examined the importance of comparative engagement in the drafting of Canadian Charter, and the rise of the “Canadian model” for managing secessionist conflict in the 1990’s.

"I was deeply honored to receive the Trudeau Fellowship, especially because of its recognition for engaged, committed scholarship," Choudhry says. "The premise for the lecture is unique. It is an opportunity to reflect upon the arc of one's research, a sort of academic autobiography. I used my lecture to answer the question: is there a way to marry global constitutional engagement with a commitment to national constitutional distinctiveness? The answer is a yes."